Paweł Dróżdż, MSc

Project assumptions:

• system should be intended on a house adapted to disabled people,

• devices inside the house should be controlled both locally and remotely by means of application installed on a device with Android system. Commands should be sent in terms of presupposed data frames by means of Internet connecting with a server. Connection with the server should initialized by application side (client side),

• server should be installed on PC and should use TCP protocol. After decoding data frame he should pass over the respective command to an executive device. The executive device should execute the command by means of its own indigenous control system,

• in the model as an executive device should be used any device intended on facilitating life of disabled households. It was decided that it will be a model of a crane intended on simplifying transportation of disabled person to a bathtub. The crane should be controlled locally as well as its power supply also remotely,

• the application should has intuitive interface distinctively dividing every rooms situated in the house. The application should use sockets to connect with the server. To demonstrate the application operating, it should contain also executive devices not built yet,

• the project should assume extensibility by adding new executive devices. For that reason there should be used serial communication systems RS485 or USB and every device should has its own and unique address. In order to simplify the first version of the project it is desirable to use simpler and cheaper option - UART.

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Such assumptions have lead to build the model and the application which are depicted below in gallery.

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Description in details of each unit:

1. Crane model - the crane has two degrees of freedom (it spins around its own axis (OX) and its boom spins around vertical axes (OY)). Two simple mechanisms were used in order to rotating in a range of 0-180 degrees. Inside a case of the crane there is indigenous microprocessor system based on microcontroller ATmega 32. The system is connected to the master unit (PC) which communicates with the server. Received commands from server are passed over to the executive device by means of UART interface. They are decoded by indigenous microprocessor system and afterwards they are executed (if possible).

2. TCP server - server still listen to tries of connections from client side. After receiving desire of make a connection, server do it if everything works correctly. To make the informations about state of devices actual, server sends the state informations directly after connection with the client. Server application is written in C++11 standard using object oriented technique (OF) allowing easy extensibility of the project.

3. Android application - application should be friendly for a user. Interface should be readable and minimalistic. For that reason it was decided to use a tabs interface. Every tab is for different room and informations collected there ahould be complete. Controlling analogue settings (e.g. temperature, window rollers) should be realised by means of sliders. 

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